Fall is for cycling

When the air turns crisp and the leaves change from green to gold, it’s time to think about taking a nice, long bike ride. This is the best type of exercise one could want. In fact, cycling and swimming are two enjoyable sports that provide an invigorating full-body workout.

A TALE OF TWO CITIES

Manhattan and Amsterdam are two places where cycling is very popular. I remember very clearly our first trip to Amsterdam in The Netherlands. Reading about the popularity of bikes in this city is not the same as actually seeing them in action.

When the traffic lights change from red to green, hundreds of cyclists barrel ahead. There are roughly 750,000 people in Amsterdam and, on average, half of the city’s population rides a bike at some point every day. There are bike racks everywhere and 250 miles of bike lanes.

CYCLING IN MANHATTAN

Compared to Amsterdam, our city is rather late in embracing biking for the average citizen. However, in May 2013 the biggest bicycle-sharing program in the U.S. was launched in Manhattan (population 1.6 million). It was kicked off with 6,000 bikes in more than 300 stations.

Launching this endeavor took three years of planning and 400 community meetings to decide where to put the racks. Even so, the roll out hit some bumps: most notably Superstorm Sandy.

WHAT DO THE TWO CITIES HAVE IN COMMON?

There is no bike-sharing program in Amsterdam because bike ownership is preferred. However, in both cities, bike thievery is high. In Amsterdam there are about 1,000,000 bicycles in the city and 100,000 are stolen yearly. And, believe it or not, 25,000 end up in the city’s 150 canals.

On the other hand, Manhattan is widely regarded as the nation’s bicycle-theft capital. That’s why Kryptonite’s bike lock is called the “New York Lock” that “resists bolt cutters”.

NEWS FLASH: It has just been announced that three Chilean engineering students have invented “The World’s First Unstealable Bike(Open Link in new window).” Stay tuned.

MAY WE SUGGEST…

Since October is a mix of end-of-summer and fall it’s wise to think about both for your biking adventures. Our camisole(Open Link in new window) in oxblood is perfect for warmer days, while our ¾ sleeve scoop neck layering top(Open Link in new window) in chocolate will come in handy when the temperature drops a bit.

- Shaun

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